Men's Basketball

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Tech men’s basketball
team has deepened its roster with the addition of transfer student
Matthew Marseille. He recently signed with Tech after his decision
to leave Centenary College, which will be dropping from Division I
effective next season.

A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Marseille played his first two years
of high school ball across the bridge before transferring to Dacula
(Ga.) High School. There he finished out his high school career
under Head Coach BJ Roy. As a guard/forward, Marseille averaged 18
points, seven rebounds and three assists per game, and helped to
fuel the team to a Region Championship and the State Sweet 16 in
his junior year.

Marseille was also honored individually in high school on and
off the court, earning the Gwinnett County All-Star Team Award and
January’s Player of the Month Award during his time in
Dacula. He was a member of the National Honor Society and noted for
his academic achievement on the basketball team.

Additionally, Marseille participated in track and field at
Dacula, namely in the high jump.

“He’s a character kid,” said Roy of Marseille.
“He’s got a great work ethic and is great in the
classroom. He play’s hard and has a great mid-range
jumper.”

Coach Roy says that he expects Marseille to be a presence inside
both defensively and offensively for any college program. “He
got some good experience at Centenary that will help him contribute
[at Tech] hopefully next year,” he added.

Marseille also participated in AAU basketball for two seasons
under coach Dewayne Jackson.

“He’s really bright, very coachable,”
emphasized Jackson. “You find yourself willing to do FOR
him. He holds himself accountable, which is unusual for
someone his age.”

“He’s a ‘yes ma’am, no sir’
kid,” Jackson added.

The 6-foot-5, 205-pound athlete put up 7.4 points in an average
of 21.9 minutes per game during his first year at Centenary. He
shot 61 percent from the free throw line and ranked fourth on the
team in rebounds, but Jackson said that Marseille’s greatest
strength is that he’s “deceptively
athletic.”

“His skill set is a good fit for the program,”
continued Jackson, who hopes to see Marseille become a leading
player for the Golden Eagles by his junior year.

Jackson compares Marseille to NBA star Brandon Roy.
“[They’re] similar in nature, [both are] deceptive but
have a great ability to score and be athletic,” he
explained. “[They both] lead by example.”

"He will surprise people,” he said, especially with his
shooting. As long as Marseille continues to work on his foot speed
and his overall speed of play, it’s expected that he will be
a real asset to the Tech program.

“I’m really excited about Matt because he’s
eligible immediately as a transfer with a year already under his
belt,” said Tech Head Coach Mike Sutton. “He plays
hard, he’s physical and active [and] he brings versatility
with his ability to play different positions.

“Most importantly he’s a good fit with the team and
he’s the kind of young person we want at Tennessee
Tech,” continued Sutton. “He’s got good core
values.”

Astoundingly, Marseille is still young in his basketball career.
He didn’t start to play serious ball until about the age of
13. This is another perk for Coach Sutton, who claimed “I
believe his best basketball is ahead of him.”

In November, Tech signed Dunwoody (Ga.) High School standout
Javon McKay.